The Persian's Last Words
by BeingLotte
Summary: The lost works of the Persian.
1. Foreword

Foreword:

Recently, I met a certain Monsieur Leroux, who begged me for information on the Opera Ghost. He seemed to be an honest gentleman, and I trusted him with some of my works. He would do well to publish them with evidence, the likes of which I could not have brought myself to supply.  
Although I tried to help the man with his project, I did not tell Leroux all that I know, and he may never hear the complete truth, for I am sick, and only getting worse as I write this. I don't have much time left, so I have instructed Darius, my servant, to hide this once I am gone, until he can be sure of Leroux's intents.*  
The following chapters are my documentation of the time I knew Erik, the "Phantom," which I feared may have proven dangerous had I let just anyone read them. Maybe it would not have been so, but I something of a fatalist.

*Monsieur Leroux,  
Should you receive these works, it is imperative you read them, for without them you cannot truly understand the genius of Erik's madness. I apologize for not being completely forthcoming during our meetings, but I am quite certain you will understand.

-The Persian


	2. The Beginning of the End

-Sorry about taking forever getting this next chapter up, my room flooded and I lost all my writing stuffs. I had to start all over. Meh. Hopefully you don't hate me yet, I'm trying not to suck...-

There was a knock at my door in the middle of the night on that day my whole misadventure began. I slid out of bed and shuffled to the door. The Shah-in-shah's newest current messenger came into my house looking quite uncomfortable, and told me I was needed at court. I could understand his discomfort of coming into my house to an extent, I had assisted in the doing away with the last court messenger, as well as the one before that. It didn't give me any great pleasure, I assure you, but it was merely a part of my job as daroga. But the way this messenger had looked at me wasn't a look of fear, not this time. It had been a look of pity. Pity for someone like me, the one who offed anyone on the Shah-in-shah's bad side, was uncommon, especially coming from lower members of court. I had no idea what to expect upon my arrival at court, but I could already tell it would not be an enjoyable experience.

I mounted my horse after waving a quiet goodbye to my only wife. She would explain to my children why I had to leave. I wondered if I would ever see them again. The short ride to the palace was dangerously quiet, obviously the young messenger riding alongside me had nothing to say to me. I found myself longing to turn around and go anywhere but forward, leave the messenger to deliver the bad news of my disappearance. I could not bring myself to actually commit such a horrible act, as the messenger would inevitably be put to death, and my family... I did not want to imagine what could happen to my family. We reached the palace much too soon, I would have much preferred arriving never, while I hate to admit such cowardice, and the messenger promptly left me to ponder my possible end while he put the horses away and carried on with his life. I walked alone down the silent corridors, until I found myself at the grand door to the main hall, where all the court gathered. I shuddered in fear of what was to come. Somehow I gathered the courage to open the door to my demise, and what I saw surprised me almost as much as the news that was to come only seconds later.


	3. Go Get My Magician!

-Sorry my chapters are so short. I'll try to post them more often. Please review if you can! By the way, if you're reading this then I just want to let you know that you're amazing. If you're not reading this... I dunno...-

When the grand doors opened, I was greeted by a suffocating silence. What was usually a great center where anyone who was anyone gathered, trying to gain the Shah-in-shah's favor was nearly barren. The regular pining for popularity had been replaced with a never ending silence, which revolved around the room's only occupant, the Shah-in-shah himself. The surprise that I had felt upon the realization that his entourage was absent only grew when I realized that he was smiling. I felt relief rush over me, only to have an escalated feeling of terror replace it. What could be so horrible that the Shah-in-shah, who usually relished any attention, would choose to be alone? What could make a usually grim, merciless person smile with such pure untainted joy? I immediately groveled at his feet, as is required as a sign of respect and loyalty.

He nudged me with his foot, surprising me further still. With an irritated voice he demanded I get up. I did as quickly as I could, and the sight of his smile sent chills racing down my spine. As he began to speak, I started to wonder how bad an execution would be. Could it be worse than the hopeless void that I could already see myself being thrown into? Perhaps not, but I had no choice in the matter.

"There have been rumors, daroga. Rumors. I imagine you have heard them," His smile remained on his face, only widening at my reply.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," My voice portrayed my terror much more than I would have liked.

"Then I will relate them to you now. Many traders pass through, bearing rich tales of foreign lands. You remember the carpet trader you brought to me not too long ago?"

I shuddered. That man had not deserved what he had had to face in the court. I was only present for his execution, I had been on leave for most of his visit before that. Thankfully. Rather than word my thoughts, I nodded in reply to the question.

"Good. By the way, I see your expression, daroga. You act as though the man had any worth at all before his end. I assure you, even while he was just another useless waste of space and oxygen, his death was not in vain. He wove a tale as intricate and colorful as the carpets he sold. Even I was impressed. He talked about a magician of some sort. The likes of which has never been in our court, if his stories were to be believed. A man in a mask who makes everything possible. A master illusionist. If only you could have heard those stories," I nodded, silently glad I wasn't there to witness the torture they had put that poor tradesman through. The Shah-in-shah continued, not thinking twice about the life he had taken away, "He had to die of course. I wouldn't want those rumors spreading too far, not yet," He glanced at me, and saw something he didn't like, grimacing. Just as quickly his smile returned, "There is a point in me telling you all of this, I assure you. I can tell you wish to know what this is all about. You grow impatient. Do not worry, for I am gracious. I will tell you now. This is why I have met with you alone, daroga. How do you feel about getting that masked magician, and bringing him back to me?"

He wasn't asking for my opinion. He was telling me that I had better leave immediately, and return with his newest fancy or never at all. His eyes were beyond stern. Beyond merciless. I was going to do as he said because he had power over everything I cared about, and he wasn't afraid to show just how much he knew that. I nodded my agreement, too despaired at my fate to speak. He clapped his hands together in a demented glee, "Good. Well, go on, go get my magician!" I was dismissed. I was doomed.


End file.
